Star Wars: The Old Republic Updated to 1.3: Allies

BioWare and LucasArts announced earlier today that game update 1.3: Allies for Star Wars: The Old Republic is now available for free. Allies brings five major additions to the Old Republic scene, such as Group Finder, Adaptive Gear and more.

“We are living up to our commitment in setting a new bar for what players should expect from a premium MMO service,” Matthew Bromberg, general manager of BioWare Austin, said in the official press release. “In just six months, we have already released three major game updates that have added new content and game features that have addressed the feedback from our fans. And we are just getting started. By the end of this year, we are adding more Warzones, more Flashpoints, more Operations, more updates to the Legacy System, new companions, new storylines and more. We are very excited about the future.”

The Allies update includes the following (directly from release):

Group Finder – will make it much easier for players to join up with others in the game. This feature allows you to connect with other players who want to tackle the same Flashpoint or Operation that you do while also ensuring the group is filled out with combat disciplines that complement each other. Together you’ll be better prepared to take on the more advanced challenges in the game.

Ranked Warzones – make PvP more challenging and more rewarding. You can now create a group, compete in ranked warzones, and then track your personal performance and measure your skills against other players.

Legacy Character Perks – perks give you the opportunity to customize the leveling experience for your Legacy characters. You can focus on the parts of the game you like best, whether that’s space combat, PvP,or Group Missions and Flashpoints, you can choose which activities earn the most experience. The perks give you other bonus opportunities as well, like piloting a vehicle at level 10, earning bonus affection with companions, and even being able to reallocate your skill points in the field.

Adaptive Gear – allows you to wear your favorite social gear into combat while still enjoying the bonuses you receive from your best combat gear. We’ll almost certainly be seeing more eccentric-looking groups tackling high-level operations, but that’s part of the fun.